Thu May 15 02:05:41 UTC 2025: **Summary:**
Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, was arrested after disrupting a Senate hearing featuring Robert F Kennedy Jr. He protested US funding of bombs for Israel amidst cuts to domestic programs like Medicaid. Cohen argues that US policy towards Israel is morally wrong and goes against American values. He claims to represent millions of Americans who oppose the US stance on the conflict.
**News Article:**
**Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Arrested Protesting US Aid to Israel at Senate Hearing**
**Washington D.C.** – Ben Cohen, the co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and a well-known progressive activist, was arrested at a Senate hearing Wednesday after interrupting testimony by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Cohen was protesting the US funding of bombs for Israel amidst cuts to domestic social programs.
The 74-year-old disrupted the hearing, shouting that Congress was “paying for bombs to kill children in Gaza” while simultaneously cutting Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income families. Capitol Police subsequently placed Cohen in handcuffs.
In a statement released after his release, Cohen told AFP he was speaking for millions of Americans “outraged by the slaughter in Gaza.” He criticized the US for approving $20 billion in aid for Israel while domestic programs face budget cuts.
“The majority of Americans hate what’s going on, what our country is doing with our money and in our name,” Cohen stated. He framed the issue as a moral failure, arguing that US policy is complicit in the “slaughter of tens of thousands of people.”
Cohen, a longtime critic of Israeli policy, called for senators to pressure Israel to allow food aid into Gaza, which is facing a severe humanitarian crisis. According to UN reports, the population is at critical risk of famine, and 22 percent facing a humanitarian catastrophe.
Israel’s war in Gaza began after the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side. According to figures from the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 52,928 people in Gaza.
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